Monday, October 01, 2007

Playing with Shutter Speed, Week 1

Reason #3,948,023 that I love Peter. Peter generally prefers to run in the morning before the sun comes up. And when it is hot outside, he doesn’t wear a shirt or a hat while running. But this weekend, he dressed in the clothes that I picked out and went running in the park so I could take panning photos. My wonderful husband ran back and forth on a path in the middle of the day while I took his photo over and over again. And he never complained once. He even said he’d go out again if I didn’t get a good photo.

Part 2: Use a short shutter speed to freeze motion.

My original plan for this photo was to have Scout jumping for one of her toys. She and I “practiced” for days. Unfortunately, our “practice” sessions consisted of me throwing the ball in the air and Scout watching it and swatting it once it hit the ground. So I had to go the dog park. I’m not sure which dog photo to take to class. The one shown was the one that was the most in focus. But this one seems to tell a better story because you can see the toy that the dog is jumping after. Plus, the dog made a splash when it jumped.

Part 3: Use a long shutter speed to show motion with a blur.

I’m in agony about this one. I took a nice photo the first night I went out, but it was overexposed and grainy. The next time I went out I got a better exposure, but the composition of the photo was not as good (photo is shown). I took daytime photos as well. I’m seriously thinking about going out there a fourth time tonight to take MORE photos. (Technically, night photography is the next lesson, but the daytime photos are simply not as dramatic.)

Not only are you a great knitter, but a great photographer as well! I vote for the second dog picture - the one that tells a story. I love that the second dog's nose is edging into the photo, going after the same toy.

I'm so glad you're posting your assignments - I've been dying to take a photography class, my camera has all these settings and I don't even know what they're for. These are great shots! I really like the one of the dog with the toy too (though I would love to see Scout going after one too!)

Great photos! I'm all for taking classes on using cameras, I've found that some friends buy the big and expensive cameras and insist on using Auto mode, which just defeats the purpose or having a good camera with great features in the first place.